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Quick RG3 update (next person to speculate on how much time he will miss without any kind of real knowledge will miss time of his own) (merged)

TK

By TK
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Hogs Ahead

Hogs Ahead

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So this is what the interwebs doctors have to say about NFL players with Isolated LCL injuries. There is almost nothing on Grade 1 sprains, so what I was able to gather that was reliable at all is in reference to Grade 3 and Grade 2 sprains respectively. I won't speculate other than to say that if RGIII's injury is in fact less severe than the injuries discussed in either case below, I find that to be promising at the least.

This paper is a study of Grade 3 LCL sprains when the sprain is isolated to the LCL.

Full Paper: http://www.harbinclinic.com/umages/pdfs/lcl.pdf

Abstract: http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/38/1/86.abstract

Abstract

Background Isolated high-grade tears of the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) of the knee are rare, as most injuries are part of a broader pattern of damage to the posterolateral corner. Limited data exist in the literature about the ideal management of isolated LCL injuries, especially in elite-level athletes.

Hypothesis Operative and nonoperative treatment of MRI-documented isolated grade III LCL injury can produce equal results in terms of return to play in the National Football League (NFL).

Study Design Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods The NFL Injury Surveillance System was used to identify all players with lateral ligament injuries of the knee from 1994 to 2004. In addition, the medical staffs of all NFL clubs were surveyed about injuries during the same period. Nine players with MRI-documented isolated grade III LCL injuries were identified through this process. The medical staff for each respective player then completed a data questionnaire. Statistics were analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance.

Results Four players underwent direct surgical repair of their injuries; they missed an average of 14.5 weeks of play and did not return within the same season. Five players were managed nonoperatively and missed an average of 2.0 weeks (P = .0001). Four of the 5 players in the nonoperative group returned within the same season at an average of 10 days; 1 missed the rest of the season. All 9 players were able to return to play the following season, and played for an average total of 2.8 (operative) and 4.4 (nonoperative) additional seasons (P = .253).

Conclusion Nonoperative management of MRI-documented isolated grade III lateral collateral ligament injuries in NFL athletes results in more rapid return to play without subjecting the player to the risks of surgery, while achieving an equal likelihood of return to play at the professional level.

And this is about the most detailed description of Fred Jackson's Injury that I could find:

http://fantasyfootballpt.wordpress.com/2012/09/page/3/

From all the week 1 injuries, the Fred Jackson is one that stands out to me for two reasons: 1) It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, and he seems to suffer these types of injuries every year, which really sucks. 2) You hear non-stop about ACLs and MCLs and Menisci, but you rarely, if ever, hear about LCL injuries. I was on Twitter earlier and saw people with many questions about the prognosis and what this really means for him in terms of time off the field. So I wanted to talk a little bit about what the injury is and why the prognosis is so vague.

What is the LCL? The lateral collateral ligament, or LCL, stops the tibia (shin bone) and femur (thigh bone) from separating when someone/thing hits the knee from the inside (think of someone who has their foot planted and another player rolls into their leg from the inside of the knee). Also, it increases stability of the knee when the thigh bone rotates/twists medially (inside) and the tibia twists laterally. The LCL and MCL combine to maintain the stability of the knee with planting and cutting side to side, with a little help from the ACL. In essence, the LCL is the lateral (outside) stabilizer of the knee. If you search “fred jackson jets” on youtube, you can actually see the mechanism of injury.

Why did Jackson’s MRI come back “inconclusive”? I think part of the reason is because they did the MRI so quickly, which means that the post-injury swelling can still cloud their ability to see the knee itself clearly. When someone has a lot of swelling in the knee (I don’t know if that’s the case with Jackson, but a definite possibility), they really won’t get a firm and accurate diagnosis until the swelling clears. That’s why they went with the standard “out 4 weeks” diagnosis and called it a sprain.

How do they classify a sprain versus a tear? Sprains are little micro tears that happen from trauma or repetitive strain. Tears are classified in three categories:

Grade 1: a minority amount of fibers of the ligament are torn, limiting motion and stability, but you can normally still function with this

Grade 2: usually >50% of the fibers of the ligament are torn, significantly limiting stability and altering function; surgery is not always a given, but can happen on a case by case basis

Grade 3: full tear of all of the fibers of the ligament; surgery is a given (in the athletic population) and it normally takes anywhere from 3-5 months to bounce back from this

If he doesn’t have surgery, what’s the prognosis? This all depends on that MRI and what they find. If it’s a grade 1 tear (see above) and it’s only the LCL that’s involved, he can be back in that 4 week timeframe, maybe 5-6 if they are very conservative. If it’s a grade 2, he most definitely won’t be back in under 4 weeks and could be out for 6-8 weeks. The thing that complicates matters is that we don’t know if it’s just the LCL that’s involved. Because of the mechanism of injury, he could very well have irritated/sprained/injured the structures on the posterior (back) side of the knee as well, including the Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL), Popliteus, and Lateral Meniscus (posterior horn). To put it simply: the more structures that are involved, the longer and more difficult the rehab.

Fantasy Impact: I’d hold onto him until more details come out about the exact injury. If surgery is needed, feel free to drop him because he’ll be out until at least the end of the year and even if he does come back, he won’t be any help to you in the playoffs. Anything else, expect him to be out 6-8 weeks (I’d say closer to 6 than 8, but again, wait for more info), at the minimum, but he should be able to come back and contribute if all goes well. Nevertheless, hopefully you handcuffed him with CJ Spiller or have another guy to fill in until he comes back. This would also be the time to try to unload your depth positions for help at the RB spot.

Update: So Jackson had an MRI done and it actually came back negative for a tear, as it was reported that he only sprained the lateral collateral ligament. This is definitely great news and it also looked like no other structures were involved. If this is all true, this bumps up his timetable and makes 4 weeks much more reasonable, although I would be hesitant to play him in his first game back against the 49ers spectacular run defense. But good news that he can potentially be back by week 5/6. Jackson himself said they would be performing another MRI in a week or so to determine how the ligament is healing, so be on the look out for more info in the next week.

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pjfootballer

pjfootballer

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Huh? What happened to Dez?

http://bloggingthebeast.com/2012/12/10/dez-bryant-to-have-surgery-on-his-finger-season-over/

Dez Bryant to have surgery on his finger, season reportedly over

Dec 10th, 2012 by Jimmy Kempski.

Per Richie Whitt of CBSDFW.com:

Just when the results were beginning to match the potential of Dez Bryant, his season is reportedly over. Bryant has emerged as the Cowboys’ best player on that Dallas offense. Here are his numbers over the last five games:

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2v2nv

2v2nv

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http://bloggingthebeast.com/2012/12/10/dez-bryant-to-have-surgery-on-his-finger-season-over/

Dez Bryant to have surgery on his finger, season reportedly over

Dec 10th, 2012 by Jimmy Kempski.

Per Richie Whitt of CBSDFW.com:

Just when the results were beginning to match the potential of Dez Bryant, his season is reportedly over. Bryant has emerged as the Cowboys’ best player on that Dallas offense. Here are his numbers over the last five games:

Didn't he play yesterday? It may sound stupid but does this article mean they are going to put him on IR Wednesday or did it mean last Wednesday and its wrong?

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jgbkab1

jgbkab1

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The Cleveland Browns are like the Carolina Panthers of the AFC. They are not as bad as their record indicates. The opponent you sleep on is usually the opponent you lose to. Hopefully the players don't sleep on Cleveland like you do. I hope RG3 plays because I don't really know if we will win without him.

I'm not sleeping on Cleveland, I'm just saying that Cleveland is not who everyone is building them up to be. We may win out and still not make the playoffs. We may also lose our franchise forever by letting him go out there on a gimpy knee and getting the crap beat out of him because he can no longer escape the pass rush like he used to. It's one thing if he's 100 percent but we've seen how this line holds up to even the worst of defensive linemen.

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cphil006

cphil006

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I know speculation was frowned upon in this thread, however.

Yea, it def looked hyperextended... I've done that to my elbow and it wasn't the same for at least 2 weeks, at which point the stiffness eased up and full range of motion resumed, however soreness remained. Not sure how RG3 feels, but he'll get better treatment than I did. They had James Andrews on the sideline...

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LEED3D

LEED3D

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I'm not sure why everyone is feeling so confident about this Cleveland game. This is exactly the type of game we lose each season, especially if we have just a serviceable QB as Cousins. I don't want RG3 to play unless he's healthy but the last thing I would do is think this Sunday will be easy.

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